Tent frame



June 12, 1928.

T. w. JOHNSON TENT FRAME Filed Oct. 10, 1925 .INVENTOR ffieodoreifJofiiwa ATTORNEYS Patented June 12, 1928.

UNITED STATES THEODORE JOHNSON, 0F ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND.

TENT FRAME.

Application filed October 10, 1925. Serial No. 61,792.

One of the objects of the invention is to mount the tent and frame on the cots, so that the use of guide ropes and tent pins may be dispensed with in ordinary weather. The weight of the cots together with the weight of occupants thereof, or of baggage placed thereon, is entirely suiiicient to hold the tent down, exceptin the case of unusually severe wind storms.

Another object of the invention is to connect the cots or beds together into a rigid structure, and to mount the tent frame and tent on this rigid structure, so that it may be easily moved short distances to save injuries to lawns, to suit changing weather con ditions, or otherwise.

A further object of the invention is to provide a. tent frame of this character which is foldable into such a small package that it may be conveniently carried on the running board of an automobile.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following detailed description, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of two conventional cots, in process of being assembled with my improved tent frame.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the frame completely assembled on a pair of cots.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the frame removed from the cots and partly folded.

Figure 4 is a detail side elevational view of a portion of one of the sills.

Figure 5 is a detail side elevational view of one of the cot Spreaders with one of the half rafters attached thereto; and

Figure 6 is a detail side elevational view of a modified form of connection between the spreader and half rafter, whereby the tent frame may be attached to the existing cot spreader without modification.

Referring to the drawings more in detail and particularly to l igure 1, numeral 1 indi cates a floor cloth for the tent. This floor cloth may or may not be employed as desired, and if it is employed it may be either permanently or detachably connected to the sills. The sills which constitute a very material feature of this invention are indicated by numeral 2; and each sill is provided with two pair of stirrups 3 to receive the lower ends of the cot legs in a manner to be de scribed. The sills may consist of a single rigid strip of metal or wood as indicated in F igure 2, or they may be formed of two strips hingedly connected as indicated by numeral 46 in Figure 1, in which latter case the hinge will be vertically arranged so that the sill members cannot close.

In Figure 1 two conventional army cots are illustrated; the two cots being indicated by reference characters A and 13. Got B is shown as only partly open so that only one of the cot legs at each end of the cotis mounted in this stirrup 3. lVhen the cot has been fully opened the other legs of the cot will engage in the companion stirrups 3. Got A illustrates the manner in which the legs engage both stirrups. After the cots have been opened the next step, of course, is to mount the spreader-s in place.

At the right of Figure l, cot A, I have shown a spreader being mounted in place; the spreaders being indicated by numeral 5. The spreader-s are mounted on the cot in the well known manner; and it is obvious that when the spreaders have been mounted to retain the cot in open position, as indicated at the left of Figure l, cot A, that the legs of the cot will be firmly held in the stirrups 3. By this simple expedient the cots are quickly and rigidly connected to the sills so that the sills and cots become a single rigid structure which may be easily moved from place to place by one or two persons.

While the Spreaders 5 function in exactly the same manner as in the well known army cot, yet the spreader differs slightly in structure from this well known cot in that each spreader extends outwardly a short distance beyond the side of the cot as indicated by numeral 6, and has hingedly attached thereto a half rafter 7. It will be understood, of course; that the half rafter 7 need not be hingedly connected to the spreader exten sion 6 as the invention contemplates the use of any desirable connection between these members; and as will be indicated hereinafter in connectionwith the description of Figure 6, the spreader extension 6 may be entirely eliminated and the existing spreader be used.

Referring now particularly to Figure 3,1 will describe the tent frame which is attached to the lower half rafters 7. The ridge pole is indicated by numeral 8 and it is preferably formed in two p-artswhich are hingedly connected at 9. In place of a hinge connection any other desirable connection, such as a slip joint, may be employed. And, of course, the ridge pole may be made of a single piece if it is not desired to fold the same.

Hingedly connected to each end of the ridge pole are two half rafters 10; the .upper ends of which will abut against the ridge pole when the rafters are in open position, and thereby prevent further outward movement of the rafters. As a further means of preventing the half rafters 10 from opening beyond the correct angle I employ four diagonal cords or stays 11 which, as illustrated in Figure 3, are connected to the ridge pole and to the lower ends of the half rafters. The lower ends of the half rafters 1'0 are provided with sockets 12 which are adapted to slip over the reduced portions '13 of the lower half rafters 7 and thereby firmly and rigidly connecting the half rafters. If desired the sockets 12 may be slitted and an ordinary umbrella latch may be inserted in the reduced portion 13 of the lower half rafters, so that when the halves are joined the joint cannot be opened unintentionally. Any other desired form of connection between the half rafters may be employed and each of the rafters maybe made of a single piece it it is not desired to fold the frame into a small package.

A row of screw eyes 14 may be set along the lower edge of the ridge pole 8 for convenience in hanging articles in the tent, and for buttoning on one-half of the wall tent. The tent may be conveniently made in halves; each half with a row of buttons and button holes along the ridge as in the army shelter tents, known commonly as pup tents. Also at the lower end of the lower half rafters, snap fasteners 15 are provided, and the tent material may carry the female part of the fastener thus making easy the attachment of the four corners of the wall tent to the structure.

, It may be desirable in some instances, and particularly in the case of metal cot frames, to retain the existing form of cot spreader. In Figure 6 I have illustrated a very simple device by the use of which the existing form of spreader may be retained. Numeral 7, as before, indicates the lower half rafter, and pivotally attached to "the lower end of the half rafter is a socket member 16, which is adapted to be mounted on the conventional spreader by merely slipping it over the end of the spreader. The socket member is provided with an aperture 17 to per mit the reduced end of the side rod of the cot to seat in its socket in the spreader. A set screw 18 may also be provided for firmly securing the parts together.

It is belived that-the construction of the frame, its mode of operation, and the advantages thereof will be fully understood from the foregoing description.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described what I now believe to he the best embodiment of the invention, but I do not wish to be understood thereby as limiting myself or the scope of the invention, as many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention; all such I aim to include in the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to so care by Letters Patent is:

1. A tent frame including a sill, a pair of cots adapted to be mounted on said si 1, two pair of members on said sill, said members adapted to be engaged by the cot legs when the cots are open, and disengaged from said members when the cots are closed.

2. A tent frame including a sill, two cots adapted to be mounted on said sill, two pair of stirrups attached to said sill and adapted to be engaged by the legs of said cots when in operative position.

3. -A tent frame including a siil on which a pair of cots are adapted to be mounted, two pair of stirrups provided on said sill, the members of each pair being oppositel Y inclined whereby they will engage and lock the cot legs when the cots are in operative position.

4. A tent frame including a pair of sills, stirrups provided on said sills, a pair of cots adapted to be mounted on said sills, and to interlock with said stirrups.

5. A tent frame including a pair of sills, each sill-formed of two parts hingedly connected, a pair of cots mounted on said sills, and means whereby the cots are rigidly connected to said sills when the cots are open and are automatically disconnected from the sills when they are closed.

6. A tent frame including apair of sills, each sill formed of two'parts hingcdly connected, said hinge arranged in a vertical plane, a pair of cots mounted on said sills, and means for rigidly locking said cots to said sills,

7. A tent frame including a floor covering, a pair of sills attached to said floor covering, a. pair of cots adapted to he mounted on the sills, and means for locking the cots to the sills.

8. A tent frame including a pair of sills, a pair of cots adapted to be mounted on said sills, two pair of stirrups on said sills and adapted to be engaged by the legs of said cots, and cot spreadcrs for locking the legs in engagement with said stirrups.

9. A tent frame including a pair of rigid ly connected cots. a. lower half rafter hingedly connected with each cot spreader, a ridge pole, upper half rafters carried by said ridge pole and adapted to engage said lower half rafters.

10. A tent frame including a ridge pole, said ridge pole formed in two parts hingedly connected, a pair of cots rigidly connected, rafters connecting said ridge pole and 5 cots, said rafters formed in two parts detachably connected, each of the upper half rafters being hingedly connected to the ridge pole and. each of the lower half rafters being hingedly connected to a cot spreader.

11. A tent frame including a pair of sills, two pair of stirrups provided on each sill, a pair of cots adapted to be mounted on said sills, cot spreaders for locking the cot legs in the stirrups, a ridge pole, and rafters connecting said ridge pole and said cot Spreaders.

12. A tent frame including a pair of sills, each sill formed of two parts hingedly connected, two pairs of stirrups provided on each sill, a pair of cots adapted to be mounted on said sills to engage the stirrups, cot spreaders for locking the cot legs in the stirrups, a ridge pole, said ridge pole formed of two parts hingedly connected, and rafters connecting the ridge pole and the cot Spreaders, said rafters formed of two parts detaehably connected.

THEODORE W. JOHNSON. 

